This invention generally relates to assemblies for lowering an electrical fixture from elevated locations and more particularly to a fixture lowering assembly adapted for lowering suspended fixtures, such as security and surveillance cameras, that require connection and disconnection of multiple complex electrical contacts.
Fixture lowering assemblies for devices such as mast-supported street lights or other lighting devices positioned at a high elevation are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,245 discloses such a lowering assembly for lowering a light fixture for servicing. The device includes a standard three-prong electrical plug that must be connected and disconnected when lowering the light fixture.
Many of such prior art devices are not suitable for providing a connection for more complicated electrical fixtures, such as cameras, video recorders and the like. This is because such complex electrical devices require many more electrical contacts for providing power to the device and permitting transmission of signals from the device, such as a camera, back to a receiving or viewing station. The complexity of the electrical connection can hinder the disconnecting or connecting process and can also cause damage to the fixture if there is ununiform disconnection or connection of only some of the electrical contacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,602 discloses a suspension connector assembly designed for use with more complex electrical devices such as cameras that require multiple pin and barrel-type socket electrical connectors. However, the pins 55 of the electrical connection project outwardly from a rubber base 7 with no mechanism provided on the base 7 for guiding the pins 55 into the sockets on the other half of the connector. The pins 55 may therefore encounter difficulty in finding the corresponding sockets and could potentially be damaged during attempted insertion into the sockets. The base 7 of the pins 55 is also rigidly fixed and therefore cannot compensate for any variation in the connection process. This rigid fixation of the pins, while an upward force is being applied, further enhances the possibly of misalignment, bad connection, or damage to the pins 55.